Corot belonged to the Barbizon School, which was so widely admired by Hague School artists. Around 1840 several artists settled in the village of Barbizon. They worked en plein air (in the open air) and lived among the peasants. Corot made this painting after a trip to Les Landes, a region south of Bordeaux. It was thus formerly entitled Souvenir de Les Landes.